Loved ones make memorial skydive for Sacramento man

The unexpected death of a Sacramento man has loved ones and the lead singer for an area rock band coming together to fulfill a special item on his bucket list.

"The day Dave died I decided since he can't jump, I will jump for him," Wendy Johnson explained.

Without hesitation, Johnson knew she had to honor her husband of 23 years.

Skydiving was at the top of Dave Johnson's bucket list. He once weighed 396 pounds, and then started losing weight two years ago so he could cross it off his list.

"In that last year, he lost 100 pounds, but he found Dave," Johnson said. "He found the Dave when we got married. He was more interested in experiences and things."

Dave Johnson died in March. For some unknown reason, he crashed his car on Highway 50 near the 26th Street off ramp.

"Right now, my focus is honoring his life and our marriage," Johnson said. "And that's what I'm going to do."

A group of at least nine people will jump for Dave Johnson on Saturday at Skydance Skydive in Davis. It will take place one day after what would have been Dave's 46th birthday.

Also jumping is Nathan Giguiere, the lead singer of local rock band Some Fear None. He never met Dave, but their lives strangely intersected. Johnson said her husband saw Some Fear None perform back in February.

"Dave fell in love," Johnson said. "I haven't seen music move him in a very, very long time."

Their CD was the soundtrack to Dave's last few weeks. He listened to it all the time. When Giguiere heard that through a mutual friend he knew he had to jump too.

"Making you understand and believe that music is used to linked people together is maybe the most profound thing you could do with your music," Giguiere said.

Neither Giguiere nor Johnson planned on skydiving before. But both said they feel a new-found purpose in life by being able to cross this off Dave's bucket list for him.

"I thought about what our music meant to David, " Giguiere explained. "What we're currently doing and I can't help but believe he's participating in this event."

"I hope anyone who sees the jump or sees the support does something outside of their comfort zone," Johnson added. "They don't have to jump out of a plane but do something outside of their comfort zone. It's a good way to honor Dave."